Device for suspending plane articles such as envelopes, portfolios, and the like, from a rail



E. KOENDERS Dec. 26, 1967 3,359,986

DEVICE FOR SUSPENDING PLANE ARTICLES SUCH AS ENVELOPES PORTFOLIOS, ANDTHE LIKE. FROM A RAIL Original Filed-April 30, 1964 ZVENTOR UnitedStates Patent 3,359,986 DEVICE FOR SUSPENDING PLANE ARTICLES SUCH ASENVELOPES, PORTFOLIOS, AND THE LIKE, FROM A RAIL Elisabeth Koenders,Utrecht, Netherlands, assignor to Blikman & Sartorius N.V., Amsterdam,Netherlands Continuation of application Ser. No. 363,918, Apr. 30, 1964.This application June 21, 1966, Ser. No. 559,341 Claims priority,

92,174 4 Claims. (Cl. 12916.7)

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A strip is fixedly connected to an articlewhich is to be suspended from a suspension rail. Two hooks are providedon such strip having their noses pointing towards one another. Each ofthe hooks partly defines a passage opening for the suspension rail andone of the hooks is fixedly connected to the strip while the other hookis pivoted to the strip so as to be movable through an angle between twopositions wherein the noses of the hooks are in one position spacedapart from the width of the suspension rail and in the second positionless than the width of such rail. When in this latter position the hooksconfine the cross section of the rail and in the suspended position ofthe article the pivot of the pivoted hook is located lower than the hooknoses and spaced from a vertical line extending through the center ofgravity of the pivoted hook.

A device for suspending plane articles, such as envelopes, portfolios,and the like, from a rail.

This is a continuation of application Ser. No, 363,918, filed Apr. 30,1964, now abandoned. This invention relates to a device for suspendingplane articles, such as portfolios, drawings, and the like whichcomprises at least one suspension rail and a plurality of carryingstrips adapted to be hooked on to said rail and to each of which a planearticle may be connected. Such suspension devices are used, for example,for filing cases in administrative systems, or in clinics and examininglaboratories, where large numbers of X-ray photographs, separately inenvelopes bearing data of the photographs and their serial numbers, aresuspended from a rail in face-to-face relationship. For the cases,envelopes, and the like, to be used, they have to be taken from therail, and re-suspended in their correct position afterwards. Thisfrequently occurring manipulation proves to be cumbersome and a sourceof errors, especially when the articles hang closely together.

It is, accordingly, an object of the present invention to render thissuspension device more readily operable in attachment and detachment, sothat as many plane articles as possible may be easily stored in alimited space while still maintaining ease of access.

The suspension device according to the present invention ischaracterized by one or more carrying strips, each provided with a hooksystem including two hooks having their hook-on openings pointingtowards each other and to one strip end and each partly defining apassage opening for the rail, one hook being connected to the stripsubstantially fixedly and the other for swiveling movement about a pivotso as to permit relative movement between the hooks in the sense ofclosing or opening the passage opening in the hook system, the locationof said pivot being correlated to the cross-sectional shape of the railand to the shape of the hook system in such a manner that in about thefinal suspended position the suspension force reaction between the railand the hook system tends to further close the hook system.

application Netherlands, May 1, 1963,

3,359,986 Patented Dec. 26, 1967 In order that both the attachment toand the detachmeat from the rail may be easily performed with a smallmovement, according to the invention, in the final suspended position ofa carrying strip, the relative position of its hook system is such thatwithout the contact be tween the rail and the hook system the pivotedhook swivels back automatically, in the sense of opening of the passageopening of the hook system, which may be accomplished by spring means,but preferably takes place through the weight of the book.

If, in the final suspended position, the points of contact of the hookswith the rail, together with the pivot of the swiveling hook, form atriangle, the suspension is stable in connection with the fact that atriangle retains its shape. Tight clasping of the rail may impart extrastability to the carrying strip against accidental pushes.

A favourable embodiment is created if, in its final suspended position,the pivoted hook is restrained from further movement in the sense ofclosing of the passage opening in the hook system by a stop membercarried by the carrying strip.

Three embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way ofexample, with reference to the drawin gs, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view with parts in section of one form of theinvention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a modification of the inven tion, and

FIG. 3 is a similar view of a further modification of the invention.

FIG. 1 shows a carrying strip 1, a hook 2 fixedly connected to it, and ahook 4 pivoting at 3, in an intermediate position as the strip issuspended from a rail 5. The pivoted hook 4 has just been hooked on tothe edge 6 of the rail 5 from the right as viewed in the drawing. Inthis position, the suspension device with the envelope 9 attached to itby means of lips 7 in slits 8 may be released by the operator. As aresult of the weight of the assembly, the resultant force of which actson the point of gravity 10, the carrying strip will swivel to itshorizontal position, during which movement it turns about the edge 6 andcan at the same time move about the pivot 3. The rotation about thepivot 3 will, in the last phase, bring the hook nose 11 over the edge12. The dimensions are so elected that the pivoted hook 4 abuts againstthe rail 5 so that it has a fixed position in time for the subsequentswiveling of the strip 1 to take place forcibly about the pivot 3 only,as a result of which the hook nose 11 of the hook 2 is sure to catch onthe edge 12 of the rail 5.

FIG. 2 shows a slightly modified embodiment of a carrying strip 14 inits ultimate suspended position. The hook 13 is pivoted to the strip 14in pivot 15, which, in the last phase of the suspending movement liesoutside the plane of symmetry of the hook system and more verticallybelow the edge 16 of the rail, on which the hook nose 17 catches in thelast phase of the suspension.

To ensure that the pivoted hook, 4 or 13, will project with its hook-onopening beyond the edge of the carrying strip 1 or 14, respectively, atall times, it is possible to use a stop member, or the pivoted hook maybe doubled so as to embrace the strip. In FIGS. 1 and 2, thecrosssectional shape of the rail is adapted to the construction of thecarrying strip and the hooks, and the other way round. Naturally a greatnumber of variations is possible in this respect.

FIG. 3 shows a carrying strip 18 comprising a plate folded upon itself,the plate halves being located on either side of a plane portion of anarticle 21, clamped or glued between them or fixed by means of staplesat 19, 20'. Also located between the plate halves is a hook 22, mountedfor swiveling movement at 23 by means of a staple drawn from thematerial of the strip 18. During its closing move merit, the hook 22abuts against the inside of the fold 24 of the strip 18. In the finalsuspended position, the effective hook ends of the hook 22 and of thehook 25 consequently form, together with the pivot 23, a triangle whichhas a fixed position relative to the strip 18. Since the openingmovement of the pivoted hook 22 is also soon restrained by the terminaledge 26 of the plane portion 21 of the article falling within the strip18, the hook 22 can only perform slight movements, which highly promotesthe device being easily hooked on and off the rail 27. T this eifect thecross-sectional profile of the strip-like rail is moreover slightlyinclined.

I claim:

1 Means for suspending a plane article on a suspension rail, comprisinga strip fixedly connected to said article, two hooks having their hooknoses pointing towards each other on said strip, each of said hookspartly defining a passage opening for said rail, one of said hooks beingfixedly connected to said strip and the other hook being pivoted to saidstrip to be movable through an angle between two positions comprising afirst position wherein said hook noses are spaced apart more than thewidth of said rail and a second position less than the width of saidrail, said hooks in said second position confining the crosssection ofsaid rail, and in the suspended position of the article the pivot ofsaid pivoted hook being located lower than the hook noses and spacedfrom a vertical line through the center of gravity of said pivoted hook,the dimensions are such that said pivoted hook abuts against said railso that it has a fixed position in time for the subsequent swiveling ofsaid strip to take place forcibly about the pivot of said pivoted hookonly, as a result of which said hook nose of said fixed hook is sure tocatch on an edge of said rail as it moves from said first position tosaid second position as a result of the weight of the assembly.

2. Means for suspending a plane article on a suspension rail, comprisinga strip, fixedly connected to said article, two hooks having their hooknoses pointing towards each other on said strip, each of said hookspartly defining a passage opening for said rail, one of said hooks beingfixedly connected to said strip and the other hook being pivoted to saidstrip to be movable through a small angle between two positionscomprising a first position wherein said hook noses are spaced apartslightly more than the width of said rail and a second position slightlyless than the width of said rail, said pivoted hook being confinedbetween said two positions by abutments, said hooks in said secondposition confining the cross-section of said rail, and in the suspendedposition of the article the pivot of said pivoted hook being locatedsubstantially vertically beneath the nose of said hook and spaced from avertical line through the center of gravity of said pivoted hook,

the dimensions are such that said pivoted hook abuts against said railso that it has a fixed position in time for the subsequent swiveling ofsaid strip to take place forcibly about the pivot of said pivoted hookonly, as a result of which said hook nose of said fixed hook is sure tocatch on an edge of said rail as it moves from said first position tosaid second position as a result of the weight of the assembly.

3v Means for suspending a plane article from a suspension rail,comprising a fiat suspension fitting consisting of a strip doubled upthrough a fold to form two opposed fiat legs and to be adaptable over amarginal portion of the article to enclose it between said legs, saidfitting being provided with a recess interrupting its fold, and with twoopposed short noses, each narrowing said recess at the open sidethereof, one of said noses being integral with said fitting and theother of said noses being integral with a flat hook element pivotedbetween said legs to at least one of said legs at a leg portion thereofbordering on said recess in front of its open side, said pivoted hookelement being movable through a small angle only between two positionscomprising a first position wherein said hook noses are spaced apartmore than the width of said rail and a second position less than thewidth of said rail, said hooks in said second position confining thecross-section of said rails, and in the suspended position of thearticle the pivot of said pivoted hook being located lower than the hooknoses and spaced from a vertical line through the center of gravity ofsaid pivoted hook, the dimensions are such that said pivoted hook abutsagainst said rail so that it has a fixed position in time for thesubsequent swiveling of said strip to take place forcibly about thepivot of said pivoted hook only, as a result of which said hook nose ofsaid fixed hook is sure to catch on an edge of said rail as it movesfrom said first position to said second position as a result of theweight of said assembly.

4. Suspension means according to claim 3, in which the pivotingmovability of said hook element in one direction is limited by abutmentagainst the fold of the strip forming said suspension fitting.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,646,696 10/1927 Keays et a1129l6.7

FOREIGN PATENTS 1,032,526 3/1953 France. 1,218,895 12/1959 France.

369,174 3/ 1932 Great Britain. 751,152 6/ 1956 Great Britain. 123,10310/ 1948 Sweden.

JEROME SCHNALL, Primary Examiner.

1. MEANS FOR SUSPENDING A PLANE ARTICLE ON A SUSPENSION RAIL, COMPRISINGA STRIP FIXEDLY CONNECTED TO SAID ARTICLE, TWO HOOKS HAVING THEIR HOOKSNOSES POINTING TOWARDS EACH OTHER ON SAID STRIP, EACH OF SAID HOOKSPARTLY DEFINING A PASSAGE OPENING FOR SAID RAIL, ONE OF SAID HOOKS BEINGFIXEDLY CONNECTED TO SAID STRIP AND THE OTHER HOOK BEING PIVOTED TO SAIDSTRIP TO BE MOVABLE THROUGH AN ANGLE BETWEEN TWO POSITIONS COMPRISING AFIRST POSITION WHEREIN SAID HOOK NOSES ARE SPACED APART MORE THAN THEWIDTH OF SAID RAIL AND A SECOND POSITION LESS THAN THE WIDTH OF SAIDRAIL, SAID HOOKS IN SAID SECOND POSITION CONFINING THE CROSSSECTION OFSAID RAIL, AND IN THE SUSPENDED POSITION OF THE ARTICLE THE PIVOT OFSAID PIVOTED HOOK BEING LOCATED LOWER THAN THE HOOK NOSES AND SPACEDFROM A VERTICAL LINE THROUGH THE CENTER OF GRAVITY OF SAID PIVOTED HOOK,THE DIMENSIONS ARE SUCH THAT SAID PIVOTED HOOK ABUTS AGAINST SAID RAILSSO THAT IT HAS A FIXED POSITION IN TIME FOR THE SUBSEQUENT SWIVELING OFSAID STRIP TO TAKE PLACE FORCIBLY ABOUT THE PIVOT OF SAID PIVOTED HOOKONLY, AS A RESULT OF WHICH SAID HOOK NOSE OF SAID FIXED HOOK IS SURE TOCATCH ON AN EDGE OF SAID RAIL AS IT MOVES FROM SAID FIRST POSITION TOSAID SECOND POSITION AS A RESULT OF THE WEIGHT OF THE ASSEMBLY.